Nature of Love
by Karriaina
Summary: They defeated the Lich. They brought Shiro to his knees. They held back the Destroyers. When it came to dealing with each other, however, no quest or all-knowing wise man could help. But that's the nature of love. Collection of 1-shots.
1. Riverlight

There weren't too many lazy days in the life of a soldier

There weren't too many lazy days in the life of a soldier. Each one was cherished, treasured, held close to the heart because there was always the uncertainty of never having one again. For Karria, a lazy day meant a time to wash up, let her hair down from the severe bun she wore for battle, set down her staff for more than 20 minutes and not worry.

The day was sunny, unusually warm for this time of year, not that Karria minded. Her Stoneforged armor was warm, but only in the places it covered, which to be truthful was not much. _Whoever designed these robes deserves to wear them._ A common complaint among female Elementalists, glaring enviously at their male counterpart's covering robes and pants.

She was just wandering down the river, lost in thought about a repair that needed to be done to her staff at the nearest outpost, a result of an injured warrior crashing into the short woman in the heat of a recent battle. Some of the spikes along the top of it had broken off, making it much less useful in close combat. It needed to really be remedied as quickly as possible. Karria chewed on a hangnail, worried about the cost of such a repair. Much of her money was stored with an Agent, merely passing through an outpost wouldn't give her enough to time get money and repair her staff.

"At least the scenery is pretty." The grass here was longer, healthier, greener than anywhere she could think of near Ascalon. There was no damage from a Searing. The woman almost felt guilty for walking through the plant life, as if her steps would leave some kind of horrible mar in the earth. It was in the middle of this musing when Karria tripped.

"My, my, if you wanted to get on top of me, you could have asked. I can never say no to a pretty face." It was with a high pitched squeak that Karria jumped back, pale skin flaring with the telltale sign of blush.

"C-captain! I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going and I...well..." The shirtless man chuckled at her nervousness, sitting up to watch the shorter Elementalist. His laugh was deep and rich, not doing anything for the color on Karria's cheeks except deepen it.

"Well, now that you're here, why not keep a lonely man company for a spell? I promise to be a good boy." Red smiled, stretching muscled arms above his head before settling back into the grass, amused when Karria made a clumsy attempt to sit gracefully, unable to settle down completely thanks to her garb.

The blush had yet to have faded from Karria's cheeks, and she realized she was just unable to look at the man without it intensifying tenfold. _This is ridiculous! He is my captain, and I will never see him as anything but my captain._ She jerked back into reality when she realized that Red was speaking to her, trying her best to conceal the bit of surprise that surfaced.

"Well, have you been able to master Meteor yet? It is difficult to learn, and harder to control. It can really drain you out, too." Karria jerked slightly in shock, wondering how the man switched from hitting on her to checking up on how her studies with fire magic were going. She hadn't even realized he knew she had begun to study the skill.

"Um." She chewed lightly at the edge of a long nail, a habit she just couldn't be bothered to break. "It.. it is more difficult than I assumed it would be. I just don't think I'm strong enough yet to channel that sort of power."

Red tutted at her, wagging a finger in her face. "Never doubt, Karria. As soon as you doubt, you no longer can." A slow, lazy smirk crossed the handsome man's face. "And that's why I never doubt the fact you're gonna kiss me someday."

It was the second loud squeak out of the tiny woman, cheeks diving past pink and turning the same color as her captain's name as she tried to find a response. Red laughed again, quieter than the first time, sounding entirely too sincere. "Ah, Karria, if you could see your face."

She turned away from the man, pushing stands of her pale hair away from her face, feeling the heat of her face sear her fingertips. A hesitant touch at her shoulders made her jump yet again, and the warm hands drew back. "S-sorry." Red's voice caught just a little, enough to make Karria regret the instinctive flinch. "I must have really caught you off guard…" He reached out again, and this time Karria didn't pull back, through some sort of miracle. Red wrapped his arms around the girl carefully, unwilling to upset her.

"Remember when we were both just enlistees?" Red mumbled, masking the grin that threatened to appear when Karria leaned into his warmth. The woman smiled, wistful, unaware of the bundle of happiness that was currently Red.

"You mean, when I set your hair on fire for groping me?"

"It was not a grope, I tripped on a loose paving stone. You just happened to be in front of me. Facing me. Within range." Karria laughed quietly, a sound not heard often enough after the Searing, that fateful day being the one reason Karria was even in the army. She leaned back further into the warmth behind her, not really caring anymore that he was her captain, just remembering the crimson haired man as her friend all those years ago.

"Whatever you say Red, really." The pair lapsed into comfortable silence, watching the river float by on its lazy way, water so clear the stones on the bottom glittered in the afternoon sun. Red was the one to break the silence, shifting his arms around the woman's waist.

"What I said about not doubting… it's true, you know?" Karria made a noise to show she had heard him, eyes closed now, half dozing but still paying attention. "Karria, remember what I said when we got sent off to separate commanders?"

The woman cracked an eye open at this, pausing to frown in thought. "As long as we don't doubt, we'll get to fight together again?" Red smiled at the fact the small woman had remembered. Foolishly optimistic words they had been, even those who didn't doubt could become victims by chance. Even Karria realized how worthless that promise had been, yet through some bizarre chance, here they were, Red only promoted above her due to a fluke, his own captain had died at the hands of Charr, yet Red had brought his comrades together and led a successful raid.

Red's arms tightened slightly around the woman's body. She snuggled yet closer, head tucked under his chin, listening to the beat of the soldier's heart, slow and steady, like her own. Silence fell again between the two, heavy with a promise of… something. Both were content, felt the most at peace than since before the Searing, comforted by the presence of an old friend.

Once again, it was Red who broke the silence, lips quirking upwards. "So, Karria, about that kiss I mentioned…"

None of the other troops understood why Karria was so angry at dinner that night, jabbing angrily at the fire, cursing underneath her breath and keeping the flames so hot food burned before it had a chance to properly cook. None understood why their Captain had shown up an hour after the other Elementalist either, soaking wet and saying something about it just being a joke. The sun had fallen on another lazy day. Tomorrow would be yet another day of battle.


	2. Oceanfire

It was the first bed Karria had seen in months

It was the first bed Karria had seen in months. True, the room was tiny, and the provided nightshirt was barely big enough to cover, and the mirror hung on the wall was tiny and dirty, but Karria was just happy for a roof over her head, and a warm meal in her stomach. They were small luxuries, but luxury enough for the Elementalist.

She and the rest of her squad were stuck in Cavalon for the time being, a recent storm having blocked a good portion of a bridge they needed to cross. The tiny woman stretched out on her bed, nearly purring in delight at the softness at her back. She could have passed out right then and there if there hadn't been a knock at her door.

"Come in." She managed to mumble out, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Exhaustion was pulling at her, but the visitor could be important. Or bringing more food. Instead, Red popped his head in the door, a wide smirk breaking out over his face at the sight of a barely clad woman.

"Oh, Karria, were you expecting me or something?" He dodged the stiletto boot the woman threw at him, meeting her pouty glare with a gentle smile. "Can I come in?" Karria rolled her eyes at that one.

"You're already standing in my room, bit late to ask." She stood and tried to pull the hemline of her shirt lower, feeling self-conscious now that the man was standing nearby. He wasn't even looking at her, however, gaze locked outside the window.

"Goddamn, Karria, if I had a view like this I wouldn't be laying in bed." She joined in at the mirror, gazing out at the sea, lit up by the sunset. Her lips quirked into a pleasant smile at the shades of gold and red.

"It's like someone poured oil on the ocean and set it on fire." Her voice was soft, so quiet Red almost didn't hear the words. He just smiled at made an agreeing sound, enjoying the presence of the tiny woman. Red chanced a glace at his comrade, the smile on his face growing at the content expression on her face. They never had time to just stand and watch the sunset. Usually nights were filled with fighting and running, small injuries and major ones.

Red was jerked out of his revere when the woman leaned against him, heat burning into his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tighter against him. "It's been months since we did something like this." Karria mused, closing her eyes as she rested her head against his chest.

Red laughed. "Yes, and the last time we did you shoved me in a river and threatened to burn off the parts of me that make me a man." She joined in on his laughter, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

Silence fell, like it always did, as the sun dipped below the sea and everything turned shades of blue and purple. Karria left his side to light a candle, pale skin turning gold against the flame. Red watched her, leaning against the window, wondering when they both got so old. They weren't teens anymore, enlisting in the army to avenge dead parents. They were adults, war weary and cold. Briefly he wondered in Karria was feeling the same way.

She looked up at him, some flicker of emotion flashing across her face too quickly for the man to identify it. She took a couple steps towards him, reached out, touching his arm. Red reached out and hugged her, so tightly she almost gasped for air. "R-red." She squeaked out as he loosened his grip, bending to rest his chin on the top of her pale hair.

"Let's resign." He said, suddenly, with more conviction than he felt. "Just…walk away and never come back. We could help the people here, this creepy plague that's going on…we could make things change." Karria didn't say anything, but he felt the woman nod her head as she curled closer to the taller Elementalist. He sighed.

"Karria." He took a half step back, gazing down at the woman. Her brows knotted together in slight confusion at the seriousness in his voice. "We keep doing the same things. What are we?"

He wasn't expecting the response to be nonverbal. He didn't expect the small warm hands touching the side of his face, or the press of soft lips against his own, and experimental brush that ended before Red could blink. Part of him instantly wanted to remind the woman of what he had said at the river so long ago, but he squished the impulse at the fear of pissing the woman off. Karria looked anywhere but at him, cheeks burned a deep red.

"Never doubt." She said, throwing the man's words right back at him. She couldn't help but laugh then, snatching the woman into his arms and holding her tight there, still laughing. She smiled up at him, shyly, snuggled against a chest that radiated heat.

"Karria, I never expected to hear those words from you. You never used to take my advice." She grinned up at him fully with that, making a face that belonged on a child, not a late-20's soldier. Red just smiled back in return, capturing her lips in an earnest kiss this time. "I meant to do that years ago." He said quietly, when they pulled apart. Karria just nodded. They didn't have that kind of time back in training, and they had been sent to different squadrons soon after, never expecting to see each other after.

The world was black outside, stars creating only the small specks of light. Karria sighed. "I'd love to stay up and talk about this more, but I'm really exhausted." Red grinned cheekily at her, unable to help the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Don't worry, we can talk in bed too!"

Red pounded on the door, head hurting like hell when the other boot Karria threw at him hit its target. "Come on Karria, I was kidding!" There was no answer, and Red just sighed with a content smile on his face. At least things hadn't changed that much.


	3. Starbright

Three months

Three months. Three months since Karria and her captain had left the army informally, leaving their capes spread on respective beds. They had left before dawn, if they were lucky; none knew where they were now.

Dawn was just breaking now, as Karria stirred in her blankets. She sat up slowly, rubbing from her eyes the last remnants of sleep. Red shifted beside her, not yet awake but stealing the blankets that had fallen around her form. They began sharing the bedding out of necessity, but three months later and many opportunities later, neither could justify the reason anymore.

Karria smiled down at the sleeping form, unwilling to get up completely. Red sneezed in his sleep, jerking himself awake. His bleary eyes met hers, and the woman couldn't help but blush. Three months with nothing but themselves, and getting caught staring still made the woman's cheeks flare into color.

Red smiled and stretched, sitting up beside her. "Good morning, Kar." She inclined her head slightly, trying to will the red from her face and regain her normal composure. This was just not correct. "Looking forward to seeing civilization today?" She blinked at this.

"Ah, right.. Kaineng Center today." Truth be told, Karria didn't really care about cities anymore. She loved the wilderness, the fresh feel on Cantha. It was so different than the humid jungles of Tyria, or the destruction near Ascalon. Red could sense her hesitation, wide grin breaking across his now deeply tanned face.

"Aww, my Kar doesn't want to share me!" He dove to hug the woman, who, while muttering curses under her breath, wrapped her arms around the man all the same. He snuggled his head against her stomach, delaying their rising for only a few more minutes. Karria's thin fingers tangled into his unkempt hair, growing long and messy in the wildness. After a while, he sighed. "We might as well get started, get there before nightfall."

The walk to the city was quiet, a strained silence falling between the two, leaving Kar with only her thoughts, swirling through her head without respite. _Will he still be the same Red once we enter civilization again? Is he going to leave, find some woman to love him like I won't? _Some sort of worry must have crossed her face, for a warm hand closed around her's, squeezed gently, and let go again. She tried to calm herself down, pulling deep breaths into her chest.

The city was entirely too large, too noisy, and too full of people. Even at night, the city was loud. Karria was sprawled out across her bed, still in full armor minus the boots, wide-awake. Her body was exhausted, but her mind couldn't rest. She missed Red. She hadn't seen the tall man since after dinner, 6 hours before.

She rolled onto her side, blowing irritably when her hair fell in her face. For the first time in years, the woman pouted, wrapping an arm around herself. "This isn't _fair_, dammit!"

"What's not fair?" Karria could have fallen off the bed at that voice, sitting up suddenly to stare at the man in the door. Red raised an eyebrow. "Did you really miss me that much?" She practically launched herself off the bed at him, arms wrapping around the man's middle. Red blinked.

"Um... wow… Kar... are you crying down there?" She sniffled roughly, pressing her face harder against the man's chest. Red awkwardly wrapped his arms around the woman, utterly baffled. "Kar?"

"I thought you weren't coming back." She muttered quietly, stepping out of his reach. "And I was... scared. I didn't want to be alone again." She wasn't looking at him anymore, staring at the ground. "Because… I think…" Karria finally looked up at Red, took in his confused expression, the way he stood stiffly, like he didn't know to run away to towards her. "I think I'm in _love_ with you."

Red crossed the space between them in seconds, hands gripping her shoulders hard enough to bruise, staring down into startled eyes. "Do you really, seriously mean that? Even after I've made an ass out of myself so many times?" Karria managed to nod, still in should. The fingers gripped tighter. Then they relaxed, as Red pulled the woman into his embrace. "God, Kar, I'm sorry. I've been an idiot."

Karria sniffled again, for a different reason this time as she snuggled into his arms. Red kissed the top of her head, stepping back from the woman.

"The stars are out." He said, suddenly, staring out the window. She looked up as well, at the twinkling lights in the sky.

"I'm... tired." She finally said, glancing at her bed longingly. Red just kissed the top of her head again, stroking the side of her face.

"I know Kar. We can talk in the morning. Good night."

"Good night."


	4. Skyblaze

I think I love you

_I think I love you._

The words had been rolling around in Red's head all night, refusing him sleep, tying him to the bed as sure as chains. The disgruntled man rolled onto his side with a sigh. He had never thought about love, not since he was a hopeless teenager slacking his way through Academy. It wasn't that he didn't care about the woman; he just didn't exactly know what saying "I love you" entitled him to do. It felt like loosing his independence, just to say those words. It wasn't until the sun peeked above the horizon that he finally found sleep, face turned away from the light.

Breakfast was strained. Karria wouldn't look up from her meal, and Red was still too exhausted to prod the woman into speech, still too confused from his own thoughts to even formulate a greeting. She followed him into his inn room, clicking the door behind her with a certain sense of doom. She looked just as tired as Red was, as if she had spent her night tossing and turning alone, wondering if she had done the right thing.

"You said we could talk in the morning." It was the strained edge to her voice that caught Red off-guard, like she would start crying again without warning. He turned to face the much shorter Elementalist, wondering if other people had their love confession talk from opposite ends of the room, him leaning against the window and her still playing with the knob of the door, staring at her feet. "It's morning, can we talk now?"

Red shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot, suddenly unable to stare at the light-haired woman any longer. His tiredness hit him even harder now, every bone in his body wishing he could collapse on his bed and go back to sleep. It was only a step or two away…he forced himself to return back to the conversation, or lack of, at hand. "What are we talking about?"

"I love you." Karria repeated those words again, eyes hardening when Red flinched. "Don't you have some sort of response to that? I wouldn't have said a word unless I had some sort of feeling... I thought maybe, you could return that affection." Her voice lacked anger, or sadness, flat in its inflection. Red grimaced slightly. The normal Karria would have told him that by screaming in his face. He didn't like this quiet, depressed Kar. It made him even more unsure of what to say next, afraid to screw up things more than he already had.

"Karria…" He tried to take a step forward only to find his feet quite glued to the ground. He frowned. This was bringing up not-pleasant memories, things he had already buried. Dust to dust, and all that kind of thing. "I can't. Say it. Not yet. Give me a little time, let's find somewhere to hide until then, I promise I ca-"

The tiny woman was in his face in a second, eyes blazing like she was about to set fire to the room. "Why can't you? It's just three words, isn't it? Isn't it? Maybe I don't want to wait. We're getting old Red, I want to know if there's something worth staying for or if I should cut my losses and run with heartbreak. What is it that makes you so hesitant?" In retrospect, trying to pull the woman into an embrace while she was raging was not a good idea. Red yelped as his palms burned, and Karria jerked away, sudden worry in her eyes. "I.." She never finished that sentence, finding the doorknob and letting herself out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Red groaned, flopping down on the bed. "Fine mess I made of that one." He grumped, blowing on his burned palms in hopes of quelling the sting at least a little. It didn't help and he growled quietly in his throat. He was irrationally worried about her running off like that, but at the moment his pride stung too much to move. Besides, the woman managed to bring another back in the back of his mind, another situation he had washed his hands of long ago.

"_You're joining with me, right?"_

"_Moira, you're joking, right?"_

"_No, you have to! If you can't become a White Mantle with me, you just don't love me enough to be with me!"_

"You know that's not true… you know I love you…"

"_Do it then."_

Karria hadn't even noticed the rain when she stormed form the inn, but now the skies had opened up on her, soaking the woman to the bone. She shivered, stifling a sneeze. Cities had never been her thing, yet now she was lost, wet, and cold. Top that with a slice of rejection and the bitter tang of a heart starting to crack, and it created one sad Karria. She turned without aim done another street only to find herself in one with a wall on the other end.

"It's been so long, yet you look as lovely as ever." That voice froze her more than any amount of rain ever could. Unwilling to turn around, to wary of having an exposed back, she turned her head far enough to see a familiar man blocking her exit. He was taller now, more muscular, but his face had evened out to something that was almost handsome. _At least he looks human now, instead of a troll._ Karria thought sarcastically as he strode towards her. "Although I think I prefer you drier than that. You must be freezing."

"Siegfried." Karria spat out, eyes narrowing as he took another step towards her, dangerously close to her personal space. She had to turn her head upwards sharply to keep track of his face, cursing her lack of height even more than she ever did with Red. The man smiled at the sound of his name, two muscled arms pinning her against the wall. She squeaked in surprise when his breath, reeking of ale, blew across her face.

"Such a beautiful voice. I wonder if you scream as pretty as you talk." If it were possible, Karria would have pale at those words. Instead, she found herself struggling as a pair of lips pressed against her neck, teeth scraping against the sensitive flesh. She whimpered in sudden fear when the man used his weight to pin her completely, hand straying down her side. "It's so sad, you could have been with me all this time, happier than you could have ever been with the redheaded pipsqueak…I saw you storm from his room. Yes, I've seen you do a lot of things." Karria had to swallow down her bile, wondering just how long this man had been stalking her, watching, waiting for the one moment she'd stray off alone. He laughed as he left scratch marks on her stomach, watching white skin turn red. "Yet, you two have never done something like this...why would Red ignore such a divine creature, right in front of him?"

She was about to scream, pride the only thing holding her back when Siegfried pressed those lips against her collarbone, too afraid to struggle with him so close, afraid of making him any more excited than he already was, when a voice behind him made him pause in his ministrations.

"Hey. Get the fuck off my girlfriend." Fire blazed, too close to Karria, who finally screamed, though not as loudly as her attacker, Siegfried running into the rain to quell the flames, meeting only Red's angry punch at the end of the alley. Red swore loudly when a crunch came from his hand, ignoring the pain as he strode towards the woman, grabbing her by both shoulders. "What did you think you were doing?! You could have gotten killed, or he could have followed through with what he was about to do, or it could have been some nameless fucking freak! Who knows?" He pulled the stunned girl into his arms, voice hoarse. "Look. I just punched him, again, and broke my knuckles, again, in the pouring rain, looking for you." He pulled the woman away again, shaking her slightly. "Do you know why? Because I really, really care about you and don't you _ever_ think otherwise."

Karria squeaked in surprise, eyes wide. She had never seen Red angry, ever, especially at her. She carefully took his broken hand off her shoulder, healing it, wordless. When the light faded, she finally looked up at him fully, finally giving voice to her thoughts. "But... if you… why couldn't you… back in the inn room…" Red sighed, letting his anger fade away. It was story time.

"Look, when we both got sent off, I uh, freed this girl from a brothel. I guess she fell in love with me then." He ran a hand down the side of Karria's face, pretending to be looking for damage. Truth was, he was just reluctant to tell the story of his shady past. "She was able to convince me I loved her back, and maybe I did but…she wasn't a good person, Kar. Always demanding, forcing me to do things out of my 'love' for her." She was no longer looking at him, eyes focused somewhere else, head leaning against the warmth of his hand. "I've been kind of… scared, I guess, ever since. In case that's how love is supposed to be." He jumped when a frozen hand grazed his cheek, Karria's eyes watering.

"Oh, Gods, Red, if you would have told me, I wouldn't have jumped it on you without warning." Red pulled her again him his embrace, laughing despite the seriousness of it. Karria blinked up at him, confused.

"This is worse then when we dated back in Academy." Red stated, still laughing, while Karria finally managed to crack a smile. "Gods, we're a mess. And you're freezing. What kind of uniform did that crap army give you in the first place?" Red's arms tightened around her, Karria trying to find warmth in the taller body. "Come on, let's go back. You need a warm bath. Or meal. Or some ale." The woman finally laughed, wrapped her arms around the man's neck.

"I'd take all three right now. Come on, let's go." Red smiled, placing a small kiss on the woman's lips, the first of many, linked her arm in his, and practically skipped all the way back to the inn, ignoring the slight charred and unconscious catalyst for it all.


End file.
